Working crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Working” are FACE, with 4 letters. Below are 22 answers from 3 to 13 letters, best match first in each length, then what each top answer means and how to tell them apart.

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The best answers, explained

BAD 3 letters · adjective

not working properly “a bad telephone connection”

FACE 4 letters · noun

the striking or working surface of an implement

STREET 6 letters · noun

people living or working on the same street “the whole street protested the absence of street lights”

RUNNING 7 letters · adjective

(of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing “in running (or working) order”

EMPLOYED 8 letters · adjective

having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary “most of our graduates are employed”

PRACTICAL 9 letters · adjective

concerned with actual use or practice “he is a very practical person”

FUNCTIONAL 10 letters · adjective

(of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing “a functional set of brakes”

FUNCTIONING 11 letters · adjective

performing or able to perform its regular function “a functioning flashlight”

COLLABORATION 13 letters · noun

act of working jointly “they worked either in collaboration or independently”

Telling them apart

With 9 squares, PRACTICAL, TEMPORARY, OPERATIVE, ENERGETIC, FREELANCE and DEFECTIVE all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: P → PRACTICAL · T → TEMPORARY · O → OPERATIVE · E → ENERGETIC · F → FREELANCE · D → DEFECTIVE. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 11 squares, FUNCTIONING, IMPERMANENT, LANDSCAPING, INDUSTRIOUS and INOPERATIVE all fit. The fourth letter tells them all apart: C → FUNCTIONING · E → IMPERMANENT · D → LANDSCAPING · U → INDUSTRIOUS · P → INOPERATIVE. Fill in that crossing answer first.

Other forms of this clue

Clues often use another form of the word, and the answer then takes the same form: “workings” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “working” means

• adjective: actively engaged in paid work (“the working population”)
• adjective: adequate for practical use; especially sufficient in strength or numbers to accomplish something (“the party has a working majority in the House”)
• adjective: adopted as a temporary basis for further work (“a working draft”)
• adjective: (of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing (“in running (or working) order”)

A clue usually points at one of these senses, so the right answer is the one that matches the sense the puzzle means: check it against the crossing words.

About these answers

We match the clue against our own thesaurus and dictionary (Open English WordNet): words that mean the same as WORKING, and words whose definition is WORKING. We don't copy answers from newspaper puzzles, so a clue that leans on trivia or wordplay may need the crossing letters instead.